Assistant Head of Finance - Community & Children's Services
Recruiter: NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board
Job Summary
Are you within 12 months of completing your CCAB qualification and interested in improving patient care? If so, we have a development opportunity for you. The role is offered at Band 7, with support and development opportunities over the next two years to gain the skills and knowledge necessary to perform the Band 8a role. This role can be offered as a two-year secondment or fixed-term contract depending on your current employment. During this period, quarterly reviews will take place. The successful candidate is expected to meet the performance criteria, complete the CCAB qualification, and provide evidence of performing the role at the required level to continue in the role beyond the two-year period. If the criteria are met within the two years, the candidate will be made substantive at the Band 8a role and compensated according to AFC pay bands.
Main Duties of the Job
The ideal candidate will be an enthusiastic and motivated individual to join our strategic finance team as the Assistant Head of Finance for Community & Children's Services. The complete list of duties is available in the job description, with the primary responsibility being to assist the Integrated Care Board (ICB) by providing high-quality financial leadership through efficient financial management, monitoring, and reporting for Funded Care, Community & Children's Services. The successful candidate will possess strong problem-solving skills, effective communication abilities, accountability, and proficiency in IT systems. Furthermore, a passion for the NHS and a commitment to driving value for money are essential.
Recently, the Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire system established a place-based Integrated Care System (ICS) serving a population of one million. This hybrid, ICB-based role encompasses both locality and system-level tasks, and the role composition will need to adapt to evolving organisational and system structures.
Job Responsibilities
1. Ensures financial and performance information requirements are successfully met including participation in production of long-term financial plans, monthly finance, and activity reporting.
2. Supports performance management arrangements across the organisations and ensures that appropriate action is taken to improve performance.
3. Develops strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure a culture of shared responsibility for financial issues.
4. Business Partnering to support the delivery of robust finance and performance information in a format that is communicated effectively.
5. Supports the monitoring of ongoing financial performance ensuring the timely and accurate presentation of financial information and advice and highlighting risks as they emerge.
6. Maintains appropriate budget systems and processes to accurately assess performance, identify and report in-year risks and forecast year-end positions for all services.
7. Supports benchmarking of services, to promote the best use of resources and to identify areas of high cost.
8. Keeps up to date with changes in national policy, particularly around the Better Care Fund and other joint commissioning arrangements.
9. As required, links into the work of internal audit, external audit, and counter-fraud functions, ensuring a robust control environment is in place.
10. Supports and advises managers to work within Standing Orders, Standing Financial Instructions, and statutory obligations.
11. Supports the CFO in ensuring that the Organisation's financial procedures and policies are in place, communicated to all staff, and adhered to at all times.
12. Cascades messages from the CFO to Directors and senior managers on financial issues arising from NHS policy.
13. Participates proactively in the Business, Strategy & Planning directorate and other multi-disciplinary teams.
14. Performs all duties in a professional manner, recognising confidentiality of financial information.
15. Supports the development of identified opportunities to contribute to the efficiency and effectiveness of the directorate.
16. Supports the Head of Finance to review investment schemes to ensure they are robust and likely to deliver savings.
17. Champions equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and ensures that activities take account of EDI requirements.
Person Specification
Knowledge, Training and Experience
Essential
* Degree or equivalent & actively studying for CCAB qualification, with the expectation to qualify within one year.
* CPD at professional/Senior personal development.
* Detailed knowledge of the NHS Finance and Performance regime.
* Ability to interpret National policy that impacts on finance.
* Experience of contributing to business case evaluation and/or preparation.
Communication Skills
Essential
* Able to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information.
* Excellent facilitation skills evidenced during difficult and controversial issues.
* Inspiring confidence & developing highly effective working relationships.
* Support financial discussions with NHS providers & Local Authorities.
Analytical Skills
Essential
* Problem-solving skills and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands.
* Ability to analyse complex facts and situations and develop a range of options.
* Supports decisions on difficult issues.
* Strategic thinking - ability to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise.
* Ability to identify variances and investigate to ensure that all possible actions are undertaken independently.
Planning Skills
Essential
* Demonstrated capability to plan and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly.
Management Skills
Essential
* Must be able to prioritise own work effectively and direct activities of others.
* Experience of managing and motivating a team.
Autonomy and Freedom to Act
Essential
* Ability to make decisions autonomously on difficult issues.
* Experience of identifying and interpreting National policy.
* Experience of researching best practice.
Physical Skills
Essential
* High standard of skill with Microsoft Office.
* Competent in the use of financial ledger systems such as Oracle.
Equality and Diversity
Essential
* Demonstrates understanding of issues affecting equality, diversity, and inclusion.
* Evidence of delivery of equality, diversity, and inclusion improvements.
Financial and Physical Resources
Essential
* Previously involved in budget setting/delivery and working knowledge of financial processes.
* Experience of providing budgetary support to non-finance staff.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer Details
Employer Name: NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board
Address: Floor 2, North Wing, 100 Temple Street, Bristol, BS1 6AG
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